Give teenagers taking ‘selfies’ a break – their phones have seen them through the pandemic

I haven’t seen so many teens en masse for ages – and at first I felt a bit annoyed with them. And then something struck me, writes Jenny Eclair

They were having a ball and yes, maybe they were pretending to be at a club (Getty/iStock)

I went to Tate Britain the other day. I prefer this “little sister” gallery to its oversized Tate Modern sibling, which has sadly outgrown its charm thanks to the recent bulbous extension. What is the new space for, why are the lifts so hopeless, and why does it smell weird?

Anyway, back to Tate Britain, which has got some new summer shows to entertain you, should you be able to visit over the holidays.

We’d booked for the Paula Rego (of which more later) but first we were treated to a new Duveen Gallery installation. This gallery is essentially the main entrance hall of Tate Britain, and for months was home to Steve McQueen’s brilliant Year 3, a vast collection of traditional “school photographs” featuring year-3 primary school children. Rows of seven- to eight-year-olds, some sitting in matching sweatshirts, others uniform-free, facing the camera – their simple pre-pandemic lives caught in the lens forever.